HelpNeed help with a japanese tattoo idea

Registered

Ok so I have this tattoo idea which is mostly a joke but whatever because I'm not looking only for a meaningful tattoo right now. I'm thinking about getting the 'Hentai' word in kanji (aka "変態") on my wrist in a shape similar to the picture I will add (only right wrist with two symbols). Although I'm not watching hentai believe in or not, for now at least it's kind of a meme in my community. I think of this as a prank for life because I can tell people that the meaning is something close to my heart and it's a sensetive topic that I won't tell them while it's just japanese pornography. To those who will laugh along I can tell the truth and to my parents, future boss and those kind of people I can tell something else or not to tell at all because where I live no one really understands kanji.
Also it's not a translation from english so it won't be this literal, innacurate translation.

I want to know your thoughts, downsides and upsides, maybe some advices. I suspect many of you would say it's a stupid thing to do but remember 99% of the people in my country don't know japanese and just will think it's really something meaningful, that's why it will be so hilarious for me to play along.

I'd recommend getting 編隊 instead: it has the same pronunciation as 変態 but means "formation" (the military kind). It's punnier that way and gives you plausible deniability in the unlikely yet possible scenario that your future boss does know Japanese.

Sempai

As Mike implied, "hentai" in Japanese means "pervert", not "animated porn" as it does in English. The Japanese word you would be looking for is "H" (as in, the Latin letter, "H", spoken). Or if you're just looking for the word for "porn", that's even simpler: "porno".

If you really are going to go through with using permanent markings on your skin as a means to tell a middle school level joke, don't forget to post your pictures of it here. I do think a simple shirt would be a much better means, however:

Registered

I don't think it's importent what's the litteral meaning of hentai is, which is 'pervert'. The word hentai is iconic and known among many people, without further explanation they will understand what I'm talking about, they will insantly associate it with "animated porn" and this will add to their shock affect and the "what" reaction.

I don't see this as a middle school level joke, it's not about "haha I watch hentai", it's about people expecting me to tattoo something importent and me doing the different way of tattooing a joke, hentai is especially good because it's stupid, iconic, well known and strong word when associated with animated porn.

Anyway, even if I don't like the meaning one day, It's written in kanji symbols which are simply beautiful so visually it won't be stupid, unfunny or ugly.

I would like to hear your opinions from this perspective please, also if I translate "変態" in google translate it gives me first translation - "transformation", If a japanese person reads it, does he think more about "transformation" or "hentai"? what those symbols mean more? Will I be able to get out of any situation by saying it mean "transformation" or will it work only on people who don't speak japanese?

The "後悔" adding on the second hand is really funny though, it's in the same vibe as tattooing "変態" and I will actually consider this, double joke it is.

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

This is one of the most astoundingly short-sighted and stupid ideas for a tattoo I've ever seen.

Your self-contradictory plan is to have a tattoo nobody will be able to read or know the meaning of....and to run around getting laughs at your own stupidity by TELLING everybody what it says. If you want shock value why not get "child molester" or "kiddy porn" or "Hitler was misunderstood"?

The only thing that keeps it from being the world's most stupid idea is that you can't beat the guy who wanted our help getting "I like to wear diapers" tattooed on himself in Japanese.

松葉解禁

if I translate "変態" in google translate it gives me first translation - "transformation", If a japanese person reads it, does he think more about "transformation" or "hentai"? what those symbols mean more? Will I be able to get out of any situation by saying it mean "transformation" or will it work only on people who don't speak japanese?

変態 as "transformation" is a technical term in biology, referring to holometabolism or hemimetabolism of insect metamorphosis, for instance. Thus, most Japanese people don't think of "transformation" from this word, just like most English speakers wouldn't bring "emergence of butterfly" to mind from "transformation".

Kanji have multipul meanings. "Transformation" and "pervert" are from the meaning "change of form/shape" and "strange behavior/manner" of 変態, respectively.

Resident Realist

Despite the various meanings of the word, is there anyone that can read kanji who would see a westerner (that doesn't speak Japanese) with this tattoo and think anything other than the intention was to say that the person is a pervert, or liked watching hentai?

I want to know your thoughts, downsides and upsides, maybe some advices. I suspect many of you would say it's a stupid thing to do but remember 99% of the people in my country don't know japanese and just will think it's really something meaningful, that's why it will be so hilarious for me to play along.

"hardly anyone can read it anyways" is a pretty terrible rationale for getting such a dumb tattoo, when you already know it's a dumb tattoo.

I've got an idea: Learn Japanese, and pick up Shuuji (calligraphy), and learn how to write this word with a brush. It may take a while, but you may be able to produce some beautiful renditions of the word. Once you're comfortable enough that you can write and understand the word yourself and you still feel like getting it tattooed, at least it's your own handwriting and not some computer font. I'm guessing that by that point, you'll realize as we do how bad an idea this is.

About Us

Japan Reference (JREF) is a travel, language and study guide on all things Japanese, with a growing travel section, a discussion forum, a section on Japanese language, a Japan photo gallery, a comprehensive directory started in 1999.